The main factors of the recent development of European welfare states: Swedish case

This analytical essay is devoted to identifying the features of the formation and development of the Swedish model of the welfare state. The authors study the factors that played the main role in the development of the Swedish model. The authors also assess the impact of the 2008 economic crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic on the Swedish welfare state.

Industrial Relations and Institutional Changes in Sweden: a Response to European Integration

<p>Many observers have identified Europeanization as undermining the foundation of national systems of capitalisms. This paper addresses a national level response. The approach taken assesses the positions (for change) by actors within the Swedish Model toward the 'Laval' European Court of Justice ruling (C-341/05). Through the analysis of position documents and semi-structured interviews with representatives from the social partners, this paper identifies key pressures within the Swedish labour market model in response to the Court ruling. The extension model (autonomous collective agreement model) proved to be the preferred option for the Swedish partners. Concurrently, this model results in the least amount of change to Swedish industrial relations. While a substantial degree of support was identified for 'change', specifically the legislated minimum wage option, institutional structures were identified that restricted such positions from reaching official channels of influence. This case provides evidence of institutional continuity and is an example of national industrial relations proving robust against the forces of European integration.</p>

Industrial Relations and Institutional Changes in Sweden: a Response to European Integration

<p>Many observers have identified Europeanization as undermining the foundation of national systems of capitalisms. This paper addresses a national level response. The approach taken assesses the positions (for change) by actors within the Swedish Model toward the 'Laval' European Court of Justice ruling (C-341/05). Through the analysis of position documents and semi-structured interviews with representatives from the social partners, this paper identifies key pressures within the Swedish labour market model in response to the Court ruling. The extension model (autonomous collective agreement model) proved to be the preferred option for the Swedish partners. Concurrently, this model results in the least amount of change to Swedish industrial relations. While a substantial degree of support was identified for 'change', specifically the legislated minimum wage option, institutional structures were identified that restricted such positions from reaching official channels of influence. This case provides evidence of institutional continuity and is an example of national industrial relations proving robust against the forces of European integration.</p>

How effective are mobility subsidies in targeting the unemployed? Lessons from the Swedish Model, 1965–1975

The Swedish Model on the labor market has been celebrated as a way to combine mobility with low unemployment and small wage gaps. As part of the model, relocation allowances were pioneered from the late 1950s. The program expanded thereafter and as much as 1% of the population in the high-unemployment north moved with assistance in the 1960s. Today, migration incentives are discussed to address pressing unemployment problems in Europe and the United States. What can Sweden’s experience tell us about the prospects of such programs? This article studies the usage of relocation allowances through a case study of Västernorrland County from 1965 to 1975. The analysis shows that there was a strong selection into the program by younger persons, recent graduates and from sectors with good employment prospects. The experience from Sweden highlights the difficulty of implementing programs to induce migration for those with the highest risk of unemployment.

Criminalisation as a response to low wages and labour market exploitation in Sweden

It is hard to determine when adverse labour conditions become exploitation. As of July 1, 2018, ‘human exploitation’ is criminalised in Sweden, with penalties up to ten years prison. The crime of ‘human exploitation’ occurs when someone, through unlawful coercion, misleads, exploits another person’s position of dependence, lack of protection, or difficult situation, or exploits another person in forced labour, work under obviously unreasonable conditions or begging. This article describes how disputes concerning low wages are to be handled within the Swedish model for labour market regulation, and contrasts this with the novel crime that adds a criminal law element to this otherwise civil law-oriented model.

Trade union struggle for workwear in Swedish elder care

This article investigates why it took over 20 years of trade union struggle before workers in Swedish elder care were granted the right to free workwear. How did the Swedish Municipal Workers’ Union (Kommunal) tackle the problem; what obstacles did the union face; and why was the matter finally regulated by the state (in 2015 and 2018) and not by collective agreement in line with the Swedish model of self-regulation? The study draws mainly on an analysis of important court cases. The results indicate that the process was protracted mainly because of the unclear legal basis for pursuing demands concerning workwear, municipalities’ (local authorities’) opposition to a general obligation to provide workwear, mainly for financial reasons, and the fact that the issue was deadlocked between the remits of two government authorities, representing patient safety and work safety respectively. The main reason why the union eventually preferred to fight for a legislative solution was that a negotiated solution would probably have come at the expense of other urgent union demands in this female-dominated low-wage sector. When Kommunal intensified the struggle for free workwear in the 2010s, the union also stepped up its struggle against the structural gender differences in wages in the municipal sector.

Fighting Covid-19 Pandemic: Analysis of the Swedish Model vs. Lockdown Model

Many countries resorted to the lockdown model that includes shutting down all non-essential activities to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Comparatively, Sweden applied the herd immunity model. The aim of this study is to analyze the Swedish model compared to the lockdown model based in other countries to understand the impact of these models on public health, health economics and overall economy of the respective countries. Based on the findings, the paper aims to shed light on which model proves to be more effective to cope with the pandemic and provide recommendations for other countries to follow accordingly. Our methodology was a narrative review that synthesizes current literature obtained from searches on various databases, authoritative texts, and hand searches. While it is too early to determine the long term effects of both models, it seems that Sweden’s herd immunity model is more effective considering aspects of overall public health, health economic factors, and the overall economy. The major cons of the Swedish model was a failure in controlling infection spread in elderly nursing homes, as half the death toll comprises individuals belonging to this community. While Sweden was able to soften the effect of COVID-19 impact on its economy without a lockdown, the manufacturing industry was impacted due to lack of availability of required parts to be supplied by other countries. Thus from our review , we found that Herd-immunity model is more effective, but it depends on other factors of the country such as population density, as it is not plausible for countries such as Spain, the US or Germany, which need to expose high numbers of people to COVID-19 to attain herd immunity.

Developing a Model for Evaluating Patient Experience in Educational Hospitals of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences

Background: Understanding the "patient experience" is a key step in moving towards patient-centered care. The purpose of this study is to design a patient experience evaluation model to evaluate the effective components in the patient experience in hospitals of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This was a comparative descriptive study conducted using databases and information resources and based on a comprehensive review, and the models used in other parts of the world were extracted based on the research protocol and entered into a comparative matrix. The reliability of the extracted framework was verified using the agreement coefficient of the parties. In order to validate the model, the questions were prepared in the form of a questionnaire and validated by the specialists of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences during two-round Delphi using SPSS 16 software. Results: In this study, 10 models were obtained for evaluating patient experience in different countries, each of which was composed of several dimensions and some of them had overlap. The models included American model (8 dimensions), Swedish model (10 dimensions), British first model (7 dimensions), British second model (8 dimensions), Scotland model (6 dimensions), Hong Kong model (9 dimensions), Norway first model (6 dimensions), Norway second model (5 dimensions), India model (10 dimensions), and the model of Ethiopia (5 dimensions). The final model with 10 dimensions and 29 sub- dimensions was approved and validated. Conclusion: The results showed that the suitable pattern for Iran had 10 dimensions and 29 sub-dimensions. Among the dimensions, respect for the patient's privacy and dignity had the highest score and the way patients are discharged from the hospital had the lowest score.

COVID Meets Volvo: The Swedish Public Health Approach to Coronavirus

Sweden has been considered both pioneer and pariah in regard to its approach to the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and its pandemic disease, COVID-19. While much of Europe went into economic hibernation and rigid lockdown in the first wave of novel coronavirus infections in the spring of 2020, Sweden kept its borders, bars, restaurants, schools, gyms etc. open. Organised children’s sporting arrangements were also encouraged, on the basis that socialising and physical activity outweighed the risks posed by COVID-19 to children. Public transportation could still be freely used. Masks were not worn. This paper examines the often controversial tenets of the Swedish public health response to COVID-19, and how widely it has appealed to public health experts and officials in Europe and beyond. Debates within the country are also discussed. What it shows is that, despite rising levels of infection in a second wave in Europe and concessions that it might have even failed, the Swedish model is being adopted by stealth and admired from afar.